Info for Owners/Operators

As an owner or operator of weighing or measuring equipment you are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of your devices at all times. This includes but is not limited to assuring that:

• The device is suitable for its intended use (by design, capacity, etc).
• The device has an NTEP Certificate of Conformance.
• The device is installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• All operating requirements are met such as indicating element visible, users are properly trained, and all transactions begin from a "zero" basis.
• Suspected device errors or out-of-adjustment conditions are promptly checked and repaired by a registered service agent.
• Security seals are properly installed on the device adjusting mechanism.
• Devices are correctly registered with the Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service.

We recommend that you have all of your devices serviced and maintained on a regular basis to insure accurate measurements and to prevent device malfunctions. If you have reason to believe that your weighing or measuring equipment is incorrect or if it is rejected upon examination by a Weights and Measures Inspector, you should immediately contact a service company or agent registered with the state of Washington and have the device corrected.

Most inspections are conducted on an unannounced basis. The inspector will work with you to minimize the disruptions to your business during the inspection. If any special equipment, facilities, or labor is necessary to accomplish the test, you will be required to furnish the equipment or provide assistance. Weights and Measures Inspectors perform inspections - they are not servicepersons responsible for correcting or repairing faulty devices.

Washington Weights and Measures approval seals are placed on devices which meet all appropriate design, installation, and accuracy requirements. The seal indicates that your device passed the inspection during the month and year indicated. Continued correct measurements result from knowledgeable personnel operating the equipment and regular maintenance of your weighing and measuring devices.

If your device is rejected during an inspection, the inspector may order the device out of service. The inspector will give you a copy of the test report and the rejection notice. You may have up to 30 days to repair the device. In most cases your device will have to be repaired and returned to service by a Registered Service Agent. Directions for returning the device to service are on the back of the rejection notice or the Stop Use. Upon completion of the repairs the service agent or you must send the rejection notice along with the service company's test report to the program office at PO Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504-2560. The information may also be faxed to (360) 902-2086 or emailed to wtsmeasures@agr.wa.gov.

Propane is a gas, not a liquid. It has to be kept under pressure in order to maintain a liquid state. At 32^o F, propane will boil. To sell propane it needs to be either kept at less than 32^o F or kept under pressure. Industry has determined it is easier to store propane under pressure than to keep it at less than 32^o F, especially at the consumer's location.

Propane gas like any gas or liquid expands when it is heated and gets smaller when it is cooled. For example propane gas volume at say 80^o F is huge compared with the same amount under pressure in a liquid state.  In order to create an equitable method of sale, industry and government determined that propane sale should be standardized. The consensus was to use 60^oF as the median to which all petroleum products would be compared to.  American Petroleum Institute (API) has set standards for how much a fuel product will grow or shrink compared to what that product's size compared to weight is at 60^o F. This is called specific gravity. Temperature compensation computes a fuel's volume based on its specific gravity at a known temperature and converts that volume to 60^o F so that all products, like propane, can be sold with equity in the market place.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has determined all propane sold from delivery trucks be compensated to 60^o F. This will ensure the same "actual" computed volume in Alaska in the winter as in Arizona during the summer. The gallons delivered are adjusted to 60^o F at point of sale. The Weights and Measures program tests and verifies these corrections are accurate and the sales ticket tells the consumer the product has been "temperature compensated to 60^oF".

Please contact our Weights and Measures office at wtsmeasures@agr.wa.gov or call (360) 902-1822.